Part of Me
by xXRayVeraXx
Summary: When they left - when he left - I was crushed and broken. Back then, I couldn't do anything. Now, 10 years later, they were in front of me, disbelief in their golden eyes. But I'm not weak anymore. For I, Isabella Swan, was no longer human. BellaxAlice.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello all. I'll start by introducing myself; I'm RayVera, a new writer here of Fanfiction. So, I've been reading for a while and thought I'd try my hand at writing my own story and thus, here I am, typing away at my computer :)**

**Oh, and forgive me for my atrocious geographic skills. The story is based in America, and I found the town in a website 'cus I don't know anything about America (I live in the UK ~) so… there will be tons of errors on high school layouts, places, etc. I'll try not to dwell on location names too much though.**

**Ok then, let's start!**

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><p>Fear. Raw, unbridled fear.<p>

That's the emotion that was in the green eyes of the man in front of me. He was about 25, with long, unkempt blonde hair that stuck to his forehead due to the sweat he was breaking out in and stubble across his chin. He backed himself up against the brick wall of the alley, cowering away from me.

"L-Listen, I'm sorry for touching you. Just please, please don't hurt me..."

For a moment I feel sorry for him; his face was drained of colour and he was struggling to get his words out. But then I remember the way he'd leered at me, his eyes roaming up and down my body before coming to a stop at my chest, the way his disgusting breath had washed over me, saturated with alcohol as he whispered for me to come with him for a 'good time'. And finally the way he had grabbed my ass, squeezing it and laughing as he led me out the back door of the club.

No. This man didn't deserve even a shred of pity.

"Why? Didn't you want me a few minutes ago?" I couldn't help the sneer that came onto my face as I mocked him, bringing my face closer to his, my mouth centimetres from his.

He gave a whimper and I couldn't resist rolling my eyes. Humans were so weak, so pathetic.

'_Is that what I seemed liked to them? To him? Was I really this pathetic?'_

The thought made its way to my mind before I could stop it, and I felt a familiar feeling in my chest; the feeling that I was being torn apart and my heart was being taken away from my body.

I flinched and curled up my hands into fists, my arms shaking as I remembered the day 10 years ago; they day when all of them had left me, alone in the woods as I cried out for them, hoping – praying – that it was all a dream. But it wasn't.

A growl escaped my lips, causing the man's eyes to widen and he whimpered even more, trying to shield himself with his hands. I smirked. Grabbing his wrists, I locked his hands above his head as I brought my face close to his, our lips almost touching.

"P-please, I-I have a family. Two kids… please don't-"

"Well, if you have kids and a family, what were you doing trying to get girls at a club? Hmm?" I couldn't help but taunt him as my lips curled into a grin.

His eyes widened even further, looking like they'd bulge out from their sockets if he widened them further.

He opened his mouth in an effort to start another plea but I cut him short. Opening my own mouth, I proceeded to suck out his life force – his _Chi. _

If some other human had been watching this from the far side of the alley, they might have mistaken it as a kiss. My lips were nearly touching his, nearly, but not quite. If they had bothered to come closer they would have seen the whispery, glowing blue string that was coming from his mouth and into mine. The _Chi _was addictive, it was like taking drugs, it took you to an all-time high and you could never get enough. I felt his body go limp and had to hold him up by the grip I had on his wrists. Just a little more. Just a little more and this bastard would be-

"That's enough, Bella."

A strong hand found its way to my shoulder, holding me in a firm grip. I stopped to look around at the tall man who had interrupted me and raised an eyebrow.

"If you continue to suck out his _Chi _he'll die," he stated, looking at me with a tired expression.

"So? This guy's nothing but a creep who sleeps with any and every girl he can get his hands on. He doesn't deserve to-"

"Bella," Kazuya's voice was calm, patient as he spoke to me, "I know you're angry at this man, but killing him would do no good. I know you're better than that."

I looked him in the eye, his steely grey orbs locking with my chocolate brown ones and sighed. He was right, he always was. Giving the drunken man a disgusted look, I let go of his wrists and let him collapse onto the ground. I turned to face Kazuya, whose facial expression was unreadable and so I bit my lip, thinking of the right words to say.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper," I said, averting my eyes from his face to his battered boots.

I heard him sigh.

"It's alright, you stopped quickly enough so that no real harm was done," he said, giving me a smile as he looked over at the crumpled heap behind me, "but I think you gripped his wrists a little bit too hard. It looks like he'll wake up feeling half-dead, with a killer headache _and _bruised wrists."

I laughed at his comment, waving it off with a flick of my wrist, "Nothing he doesn't deserve."

Kazuya shook his head at my comment. The action let some of his thick, black hair cover his eyes and he pushed them back with his hands, "Come on, let's get back home."

He led us back to our car which was parked a few blocks away. If anyone found the green-eyed man's body, they'd just assume he'd passed out from drinking too much, but Kazuya liked to be careful anyway. As I got into the passenger seat I noticed that Kazuya's lips were in a firm line, his expression was as if he was deliberating whether or not to tell me something.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him. Kazuya trusted me; he didn't ever keep secrets from me.

"Well…" his voice was hesitant as he started the car, flicking his eyes to me as he drove, his face illuminated by the streetlights, "there are rumours that a new family is arriving in a few days…"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Kazuya, a new family arriving in Riverside isn't exactly shocking news…"

He grimaced, eyes never leaving the road in front of us as I looked at him curiously, "Yes, but… Bella, I've heard that they're a family of seven; two parents, one of which is a doctor and five kids, three boys and two girls, all of which are adopted."

I froze and my breathing stopped. My eyes widened and the familiar feeling of my heart being ripped out returned. I could no longer see the face of Kazuya, the man who had saved me from death. Instead I saw _them_. They're faces were forever etched into my memories. I saw Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett… Alice.

Her face, laughing and happy and perfect made me squeeze my eyes shut as tears threatened to come out. She had been my best friend.

And finally; Edward appeared before my eyes, his hair style still in the same, gravity defying style as he told me that he didn't love me. That he had never loved me. If thinking of Alice had been bad, this was worse. It felt as if someone had knocked the breath out of me and I felt tears running down my face.

A warm hand wiped away the tears and I didn't resist as I was drawn close to Kazuya's body, instead I cried into his shirt as I remembered the memories.

"It might not be them, Bella…" he whispered, running his hand through my hair and rubbing my back soothingly. I shook my head. It was them. It _had _to be them, there were too many similarities. Wiping my tears away, I sat back straight, "Sorry, I ruined your shirt…" I mumbled.

"Bella, it's just a shirt," he said, smiling softly at me, "Do you want a tissue?" he asked, grabbing a packet from his pocket and offering me one.

I thanked him as I took the tissue to wipe away the tears and got myself together. Kazuya didn't say anything for a while, and when he did, it surprised me.

"Do you want to move?"

I looked at him, my eyes wide. His voice had been soft, caring. I bit my lip. We could move. Then I wouldn't have to face them – I wouldn't have to face _him. _But – but that would be selfish. I glanced at Kazuya. His face was hard, probably thinking about the complications that would with moving so suddenly. It would be hard for him to move just like that, and I couldn't give him any more trouble. He was the one who'd helped me, the one who'd saved my life after I'd been mugged, stabbed and left for dead on the cold, hard streets of Port Angeles. No, I couldn't burden him further.

"No," my voice came out firm and Kazuya raised an eyebrow at me, surprised by my answer, "I don't want to run… I'm not weak anymore, let them come."

"Are you sure?" he asked softly.

"Yes, besides, it's like you said; it might not even be them. But if it is… I want to let them see me. I want to let _him _see that he didn't completely break me back in Forks. That I'm not that weak anymore."

Kazuya parked the car and I realised that I'd been too preoccupied to notice we'd arrived home. He turned to look me in the eye, his face serious.

"Alright then, if you're sure about this. But…" he lowered his voice, and I furrowed my brows as to why, "I'm not going to be the one to tell Renesmee, you'll have to do that yourself," he whispered, giving me a smirk as I groaned into my hands, _this _was why he'd whispered; to stop her overhearing.

Renesmee was going to be very… difficult to convince. She was the first person who Kazuya had saved – about 3 years before me. She'd been at my side ever since, and was fiercely protective of me. Yeah, it was going to be hard to stop her from killing the Cullens – if it was even them. Getting out of the car I walked to the door of our house. It was modest; with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and was surprisingly spacious inside. The blinds were closed on every window; they always were. Our home was the one place we could relax and we really didn't need someone staring at us through the windows.

I lifted my hand to knock but the door opened before my hand reached the hardwood, revealing a frowning Renesmee on the other side.

"What took you guys so long?" she asked, her voice layered thick with worry, "And why the hell were you whispering?"

I smiled nervously at the girl. Her long, wavy brown hair was up in a ponytail and she was dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants.

"Erm… sorry, I lost track of time…"

Yeah, the lie was lame, and I could see from her face that Renesmee didn't believe it for a second. She pursed her lips and glanced over at Kazuya, who merely shrugged at her questioning gaze. Sighing, she held the door open wider to let us in.

Once I'd taken off my coat she faced me again, this time in the living room.

"Okay, so you won't tell me whatever happened tonight, but why were you guys whispering?"

I took a breath and looked at Kazuya for support and he nodded at me in encouragement, "Renesmee… you remember how I told you about the reason I was the way I was when Kazuya found me?"

I saw her green eyes darken and anger flooded them like a tidal wave. Without waiting for confirmation, I continued.

"Well… there's meant to be a new family moving into town, and Kazu- _we _think that-that it might be them," I said hesitantly, glancing up I saw that she was still. Her jaw was locked as she looked at me, her gaze so intense that I looked away.

"You mean the _Cullens? _Their family name came from her mouth in a hiss and made me flinch. I could see her body from my peripheral vision, and it was clear that she was shaking.

"It's not that bad, I'm okay with it – I swear. It's nothing. Besides, it might not even be them. Could be a coincidence," I said, trying to laugh it off and failing miserably as my voice cracked.

"Bella… Those – those _bastards! _How _dare _they? Don't they know how much they've hurt you already?" she snarled and I gave a shake of my head.

"Ren, they don't know what I am – what _we _are, so they don't know I still go to high school," I said while taking her hand in mine and trying to calm her down, "besides, I'm fine with it, okay? I'm not so weak anymore. I want them to see that," I said, hoping, _begging _that she would calm down. Renesmee was known for having a fiery temper.

But her anger faded as she looked at me, her features softening as she gave my hand gentle squeeze.

"You've never been weak, Bella. You're one of the strongest people I know," she said softly, and I smiled at her.

"When will they be here?" she asked, this time it was directed at Kazuya, who had watched us in silence until then.

"Day after tomorrow, I think. The kids will probably attend school with you two on Monday," he answered.

On the inside I wondered how he'd known about them, but he'd probably heard it from Chief Clarke. In a small town, it wasn't hard to know everything.

Renesmee gave a nod and then turned to look at me, "Listen Bella, if you're sure about this then I'm not gonna stop you, but if any of them give you a hard time just tell me, okay? I'll make sure to beat the crap outta them."

I chuckled and I heard Kazuya doing the same. Renesmee never thought things through, going for violence first, thinking later, but she meant well.

"Promise?" she asked, looking me in the eye.

"I promise."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Monday came sooner than I expected, and as we stepped out of the car I started to panic. I wasn't ready. I couldn't face them again. Not after-

"Bella?"

Renesmee's quiet voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I realised that she was looking at me worriedly. Taking a deep breath I smiled at her reassuringly. It didn't look like she believed me but she let it go as we headed through the doors of Riverside High School. We kept together as we pushed through the throng of students that crowded the hallway until we reached homeroom. Without pausing to look at any of the other students we made our way to the back of the class; I sat at the window while Renesmee sat to my right. I glanced at the clock; there was still ten minutes until homeroom started. Would any of them be in my homeroom class? Would any of them be in my _year? _ I felt my throat tighten as I waited in anticipation.

When the bell rung though, and our homeroom teacher – a tall, balding man called Mr Jones – came through the door and told us to sit down, I let go off the hope – or was it fear? – that one of them could be in my homeroom. I ignored whatever he said, and sighed in relief as the bell rang again, signalling the end of homeroom. Giving a small nod goodbye to Renesmee, I made my way to my first period class – Maths. Wonderful…

Once again I made my way to the back, not taking notice of anyone as I settled myself down. When my maths teacher came in, I zoned out again. Looks like none of the new students were in my first class either. I sighed to myself. Maybe Kazuya's source had been wrong. Maybe there wasn't a new family that just moved in-

"Excuse me, is this Mrs Williams' class?"

The musical voice interrupted my thoughts, my breathing hitched in my throat. The voice was musical, captivating, something you could listen to for years and not get tired of. I knew, without even having to raise my eyes from my desk, exactly who the owner of said voice was. I took a deep breath.

'_Calm down, Bella. You'll be fine. You'll be fine.'_

In the distance I heard Mrs Williams telling her to sit in the empty seat at the back – the one beside me. I heard footsteps – light and graceful – as she made her way over to the back.

Then they stopped.

I could feel her eyes on me. I could see her feet – covered in designer heels – rooted to the spot a foot or so away. The whole room seemed to have lapsed into silence. Slowly, I looked up at her face.

As a human, I must have had very, _very _poor eyesight. No memory could have ever done her justice. Her skin was as pale as ever, without a single blemish and was almost luminous in the light of the room. Her hair was still cut short, coming down a few inches before the tips were spiked into perfect, beautiful chaos that framed her face. Her mouth, with those soft, full lips was open in shock. And her eyes looked at me wide and confused.

Standing in front of me, looking like she'd just seen a ghost, was Alice Cullen.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that's the first chapter. I'll leave what Bella is a secret for now, but you can try guessing if you want :3 So, how was it? Didya like it? Hate it? Love it? _Really _hate it? Whichever reaction it was, please leave it in a review. Oh, and if you hated it, do please tell me what you didn't like and hopefully I can get better. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow… I really didn't expect so many reviews for the first chapter. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed and all the people that bothered ready the story :) Okay, and so I got a few reviews from fans of the show called **_**Lost Girl**__. _**Now, I'll be honest here. I have never in my life seen that show. And Bella isn't a Succubus Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I hope that it won't keep you from reading the story. Although, now I might as well go watch the show, seeing as a lot of you guys think it's brilliant :D**

**And I'm updating this quickly 'cus I'd already had it written out and was planning on updating on Thursday, but I felt I might as well do it now.**

**Ok then, onto chapter 2.**

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><p>"Miss Cullen? Are you all right?"<p>

Mrs Williams' voice brought us both back to the present. I could feel the eyes of the entire class watching me and fought of the blush that threatened to rise to my face. Alice and I had been staring at each other for a while now; neither of us moving, our gazes locked. Hers was one of disbelief and shock and I imagine mine was cold, emotionless.

"Hmm? Oh, y-yes, sorry, I zoned out there" Alice said, flashing one of her brilliant smiles in the direction of Mrs Williams, who gave a small nod.

"Alright then, well, take a seat and we'll start."

Alice stopped for a split-second, before giving a wide smile and seating herself beside me. I fought off the urge to look at her again. I had to remain calm, impassive.

'_Come on Bella. You're in control now, let her be the one who's uncomfortable.'_

Mrs Williams got started on something about trigonometry, but once again I zoned out. After attending high school 3 times, classes got very, very repetitive.

'_I wonder how many times they've gone through this torture…' _

I risked a small glance to my right. Alice was sitting up straight and her desk was clear of any books or pens; her face wasn't even facing the teacher. Instead it was facing me; her eyes were unsure and uncertain.

'_This is going to be… interesting.'_

Looking to make sure Mrs Williams wasn't looking at us; I stretched out my hand to her and spoke with the sweetest, most fake voice I could manage, "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Isabella Tanaka, but you can call me Bella."

Her eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't identify, but soon her own hand had stretched out meet mine. Her skin was ice cold and perfectly smooth and I gave a little gasp as it touched my hand, I didn't remember they were _this _cold.

"Alice Cullen, nice to meet you too," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

'_Yes, this is really going to be very interesting.'_

XXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of Maths passed by relatively uneventful. Alice had stayed still, her eyes fixed to the front of the class, heck; she hadn't even been pretending to breathe. So, when the bell rang and she got up and faced me, I was surprised.

"Bella, was it?" her voice was strained, as if she were expecting something extraordinary.

"Yes, I'm glad you remembered. I didn't think you'd have bothered to remember someone like me," my voice came out hostile, and I cursed myself.

'_What happened to playing it cool?' _

Hurt flashed through her eyes as she thought of something to say. I scoffed inwardly. What did she think she should say?

"_Oh, I'm so sorry. You just reminded me a lot of a human that we abandoned alone in the woods 10 years ago. But that can't be right, since you're in high school now and she should be 27."_

Yeah… _that _would make everything much less awkward.

"Well Alice, I don't know about you but I've got a class to get to," I said, picking up my bag and tossing the strap around my shoulder.

She opened her mouth as if to say something but I cut her off – the longer I stayed in her company the surer I was that my voice would crack and tears would fall out endlessly. No, I couldn't let her see _that _side of me.

"Oh, and you might want to bother looking like you're actually breathing. It'd be bad if someone got suspicious about you and your family, wouldn't it?"

Her eyes widened as I flashed a mocking grin, and then I was off, out the door and off to my next class; English, a class I shared with Renesmee.

'_Well, now she knows that I know what she is.'_

There was no doubt about it then, she'd probably already put the pieces together; Alice Cullen was not known for being slow.

Renesmee was already waiting when I entered the classroom and sat myself down.

"So?" she asked expectantly.

I gave her a questioning look, "So what?"

She rolled her eyes, her patience decreasing by the second, "_So, _did you see any of them?" her voice was low , low enough so that none of the humans could her what we were saying even if they'd wanted to.

I gave her a nod, "Yeah, Alice Cullen was in my Maths class."

Her eyes narrowed, "Did she do anything? If she did I swear I'll-"

"Ren, calm down, she didn't do anything. She was… too shocked do anything, I guess. But she knows who I am at least, and the next time I see her I'm pretty sure I'll be asked a lot of questions."

"Well, if they want to speak to you, I'm going with you," she hissed, anger lacing her voice.

I gave her a small smile; Renesmee really was a great friend, even if she overreacted some of the time. Scratch that, she overreacted _most _of the time.

After telling her to calm down – which I seemed to be doing a lot recently – I let my thoughts wander.

'_What will I do when I see him? He'll have read Alice's thoughts; he'll know I'm here. Oh, crap, he can read thoughts."_

I shook my head as I muttered to myself, causing Renesmee to look at me and raise an eyebrow. I didn't answer her; instead I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the edges of my shield as I slipped it over Renesmee.

"Bella?"

She was confused, she'd sensed the slight pressure my shield had created; I didn't tend to use my shield often. It was never needed.

"Remember how I told you vampires could have special powers?"

She gave a slow nod, still not understanding.

"Well… he-Edward, the bronze haired one, he can read minds. I don't want him to be in your head…" I said, feeling my throat tightening at the mention of his name and my heartbeat sped up.

"Oh…" her mouth formed and 'o' as she took in the information, "Alright, anything else I should know about?"

"Well, Jasper – he's blonde – he can sense and manipulate emotions, though I'm not sure if my shield blocks that."

It was true. As a human my shield had protected me from Edward's mind reading skill, but now it was much, _much _stronger. I remember the first time I'd sensed it, like an invisible wall that I could bend and contort to my will. It had been hard work practicing – since I could never tell if it was actually working, but I'm pretty sure I had the hang of it after 10 years.

"And Alice, the short, black haired, pixie-like one, she has visions of the future," I said, informing Renesmee.

"Okay… well, thanks for the late info here, Bella."

"Sorry…" I said sheepishly as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, no matter what happens, I'm there for you, okay?"

I nodded, knowing that she meant every single word.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The next three periods passed, and I didn't see another Cullen anywhere, but I could smell them. In the hallways, the smells of the vampires were stronger than any human. They smelled sweet – not sickly so – but of flowers and there was hint of bitterness, probably the animal blood that they drunk, human blood was a more honeyed fragrance.

As we made our way to the cafeteria, I started to panic again. They were all already inside, their scent here revealed that they'd walked this way a few minutes ago. Renesmee smelt it too, as she tensed slightly by my side. Taking a deep breath, I walked inside.

It was as crowded as ever, with students talking and shouting about their lives; what they wanted for their birthday, who they wanted to date, all that kind of crap. But my eyes sought out only one group of people, and I found them, sitting on their own at a table in the far corner: mine and Renesmee's table.

They were right here in front of me after 10 years. Their faces were quite comical and if I wasn't too busy concentrating on calming down I probably would have laughed. Apart from the fact that my new, improved eyesight could see just how perfect they actually were, none of them had changed, not even in the slightest. Emmett was still as big as ever, his hair still curly and slicked back, looking at me with wide eyes. Rosalie was… well, she was Rosalie: long, blonde hair, impeccable beauty and that glare that I remembered so well. Only now it was ten times worse and if looks could kill, I'd be 6 feet under. Jasper face mimicked Emmett's in his shock. Alice had her lips in a tight line. And finally, there was Edward… He looked the worst out of all of them. His hair was still styled in the same, gravity defying way, and his expression was that of someone who had spent their whole life convincing themselves that ghosts didn't exist, only to end up face-to-face with one.

"They took our table…" Renesmee growled and I could _feel _the anger coming off of her in waves.

I hesitated as we got our food; with the Cullen's at our usual table we had nowhere to sit, unless we decided to sit next to a random crowd of noisy, hormonal teenagers. I grimaced. I'd rather sit with the vampires and take my chances than sit through having every guy mentally strip me.

"Come one, Ren," I said, signalling to our table with a flick of my head,

"_What?_ Bella, you can't be-"

"I'm one hundred percent serious, now, are you coming or will I have to do this alone?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she grabbed my free hand, "I'll always be there for you, Bella."

I squeezed her hand as we approached the table and I felt their eyes on us. Edward tensed, he'd probably realised that he couldn't read Renesmee's thoughts as well as mine. I sat down as far away from them as possible, with Renesmee sitting opposite me. It looked like she'd attack at the slightest provocation. The cafeteria had gone quiet too, with most of the students giving me shocked looks. Yes, the anti-social Isabella Tanaka was actually sitting with someone other than her sister. Shocking, isn't it?

For a long time, no one spoke. The cafeteria had once again become full of conversation after everyone had got over the shock of me bothering to interact with someone, but the Cullen's barely moved. They made no effort to touch the food on their plates, which I noticed there wasn't a lot of; the most any of them had in front of them. I rolled my eyes as I wondered how no one seemed to notice their lack of appetite.

'_Probably too distracted by their looks…' _

The sour thought caused anger to bubble up with me and I forced it down as I started to eat my fries. I noticed Renesmee wasn't eating and looked up at her; her mouth was in a firm line, her stare trying to bore a hole through the table.

I noticed movement to my left – a flash of bronze.

"Can I talk to you?"

His voice was like velvet, smooth and rich and that caused a pain in my heart. I looked up; Edward was standing there, his hands by his side, his expression serious.

"If you want to talk to her, you'll have to talk to me too."

And then Renesmee was up, standing at my side and giving him a deadly glare.

"Listen, I don't know who you are but I need to talk to Bella," I could tell he was losing his patience by the way he spoke, he tried to keep it in but the frustration leaked out.

"Oh, so _now _you want to talk to her? What about when you left, huh? Do you have _any _idea how much you hurt her? You destroyed her!"

"Ren, it's ok, I can handle myself," I mumbled, grabbing her sleeve, mainly to prevent her from making a scene. There were already some students who had noticed the fight between the fiery Renesmee Tanaka and the new student Edward Cullen.

"No, Bella. I promised I'd be there for you, and unlike _some _lying vampires, I don't go back on my word."

Edward's eyes darkened instantly as the rest of his family stood up simultaneously, "How do you-"

"Edward, I think we should talk about this somewhere more private."

It was Alice who spoke, walking to his side and placing a hand on his shoulder. I saw him calm instantly – Jasper's doing of course – and was pleased to know that my shield blocked out not only Edward's but Jasper's gift as well.

Edward looked at me as he spoke, "After school, follow us to our house, we'll talk there."

"Oh?" Renesmee's voice came out filled with venom, "You really expect us to follow a bunch of vampires to their house just so they can-"

"Renesmee," it was me who spoke this time, my voice firm and full of authority as was the last one to stand, she stopped talking; I only ever called her by her full name if it was something serious. I turned to face Edward, locking my gaze with his, "we'll come."

And with that I left the cafeteria, forgetting my lunch and with Renesmee behind me.

"Sorry," she whispered once we were back out into the hallway, "I lost it, I shouldn't have."

I sighed at her, but the expression on her face was one I couldn't stay mad at so I gave her a smile, "Whatever, what's done is done."

"Are we really going?"

"Yeah, don't worry, they won't hurt us, Carlisle and Esme hate violence."

She looked sceptical, but nodded none the less.

"Still, let's phone Kazuya anyway, just in case."

I nodded.

'_Just in case.'_

XXXXXXXXXXX

I offered to drive, since I could see just how tense Rensemee was. We didn't need an accident. It wasn't that I wasn't anxious, but after hiding myself in a shell for the few months after I'd been left alone, I was pretty good at burying my emotions deep within me. The Cullen's drove in a Volvo – not the one they'd had back in Forks, but this time a large, dark blue one.

We were led far out of the main town, and still we drove further until they turned into a large path to the right, leading to their house.

It was breath-taking. It was modern, with sheets of glass for walls and beautiful wood panelling, but it didn't have the robotic, lifeless feeling that came with most modern buildings. Esme had really outdone herself this time.

"Damned rich-ass vampires…" Renesmee grumbled and I laughed.

"Hey, it's not like we're poor, Kazuya just likes to-"

"Lay low, I know. But still, rich-ass vampires…"

I parked and we got out of the car at the same time they did. Edward unlocked the front door and we filed inside without a word.

The house was as beautiful inside as it was outside. It was painted a cream colour, which, instead of making the house look boring, did the exact opposite. There was a glass staircase that led up to the second floor that looked amazing.

Movement behind me stopped me in my thoughts, and I felt an icy cold hand touch mine.

"Bella… Bella, is it really you?" his voice was soft, so layered with love that I nearly forgot that he was the same man who'd abandoned me all those years ago. The one who's caused me to fall so deep, and then watched as I plummeted.

I turned around to face him, "Yes, Edward, it's me," my voice was cold, emotionless.

His eyes widened, "But-but how? You shouldn't be here! You shouldn't still be-"

"17?" I finished for him, giving a small laugh, "Edward, you of all people shouldn't be surprised at stuff like this."

"Bella…" his voice was barely a whisper as he reached his hands up to stroke my hair.

I stepped away from his touch and went to stand beside Renesmee.

"I'm not your Bella anymore, Edward. I'm not the same person you left in the woods 10 years ago," I said, praying that my voice wouldn't crack.

"_Bella?_"

It wasn't Edward who had spoken, but instead it was Esme, who had emerged from upstairs, her voice thick with shock and disbelief.

She hadn't changed; the same heart-shaped face, same hair, and the same caring eyes. I was reminded a lot of Renée and I felt sudden guilt wash over me. I hadn't contacted either of parents at all; they both thought that I was dead; that I'd been killed on the night I'd been mugged.

The atmosphere was really tense. Neither party was sure of what to do. I stood in the middle, with Renesmee at my side. Esme and Edward stood in front of us and Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice stood behind us. No one was sure where to begin.

"Bella, what happened to you?"

It was Edward who spoke, his tone made me flinch and anger bubbled up inside me. Like he didn't know, he caused it!

"Well, let's see. I was abandoned by the person I loved most in the world in the middle of the woods. Not only that, his whole family disappeared, no explanation, no goodbyes. Nothing." I snarled, causing Edward's expression to soften.

"Bella, that was in your best interest-"

"My best interest? Edward, _you_ were my best interest. I trusted you! And yet you didn't think twice about leaving! Do you know how much it hurt? God, I hate you! I hate all of you!"

The tears came out thick and fast and there was nothing I could do about them. All these years I had kept my emotions bottled up inside. I was so pathetic. Letting them see me like this. I fell to my knees, hiding my head in my hands as I cried 10 years' worth of tears.

Hands wrapped around me, I thought it was Renesmee but when the chin that rested on my head was cold, and the body that I was leaning against was smaller than me, I realized it was Alice. There was a tingling feeling from the places where she touched, but at the time, I was too busy crying.

"I'm sorry… Bella, I'm so sorry, for everything," her voice cracked and I was sure that if she could cry, she would be.

"You left me… All of you…" I could barely manage to get anything and Alice tightened her arms, running her hands through my hair as she let me cry myself out.

It took a few more minutes before I regained control of myself and felt Renesmee grip my hand.

"We can leave, right now," she said, giving my hand a squeeze.

I shook my head, "I'm ok now, it's fine," I stood up and Alice led me to a sofa, for which I was grateful because I wasn't sure how long it would be before my legs turned to jelly again. She sat down to my right and Renesmee sat to my left, hand still gripping mine.

"I think we owe you an explanation honey," Esme said, seating herself on the sofa opposite as the rest of them did the same.

"No, Esme, _I_ owe her an explanation," Edward said and I looked at him, he was looking at me with regret.

"Bella… about what happened, please don't blame my family. Leaving was my idea and I forced them to go. I thought that leaving was the best thing I could do to you – I didn't realise that it would-"

"Completely tear me apart?" I finished, my voice sour.

He cringed, "Yes… I'm very, very sorry Bella. But I _never_ – not for one moment – stopped loving you."

"Then why-"

"I had to, Bella. There was no other way. If I hadn't broken your heart you would have come after me. I needed to make sure you'd stay safe, that you'd stay in Forks. But Bella, I never – not for one second these past 10 years – stopped loving you," he looked at me pleadingly – desperation clear in his eyes.

I shook my head, "I don't know what you expect, Edward. Do you want me to forgive you and act like it never happened? I can't! I can't even trust you anymore, let alone forgive you!"

"Alright… I understand, but Bella, I will fight for your trust – and your love."

I grimaced, "After everything it's been through, I don't think my heart can love anymore."

He looked at the floor, his hair falling to cover his eyes.

"Can you at least forgive my family?" he asked, not looking at me.

I paused. Could I forgive them? Even if it hadn't been their idea, they still left me. But then I remembered how Alice had comforted me today as I cried, the way her voice had sounded so _genuine_. And looking up into Esme's eyes I could see nothing but motherly love.

"I can try…" I mumbled. I had to try, since we'd be attending the same school.

Emmett grinned as I said it, making his way over and enveloping me into one of his bear hugs.

"Welcome back, Bells," he whispered into my ear and I smiled; it was really hard to stay mad at someone who was so big yet acted like a 5 year-old. Emmett was as open and friendly as always.

He released me and looked at Renesmee, "So, who's your fiery friend?"

Renesmee growled, "My name, is Renesmee." She said between teeth, causing Emmett to laugh nervously.

"So, Bells, what happened to you?" Emmett looked at me expectantly, "Even _I _can tell you're not human anymore."

I bit my lip. I said I'd try to forgive them, but revealing what I was would be something I could do only when I trusted them completely. Besides, I'd have to ask Kazuya about it first.

"Sorry, Emmett, I can't tell you that right now."

He looked disappointed but stopped asking after a threatening look from Esme.

"Bella, we should go, Kazuya will be getting worried," Renesmee said, and I realised she was right.

"Won't you stay for dinner?" Esme asked gently.

"Sorry, but we do have to get home, bye," I said.

I was making my way to the door when cold hands wrapped themselves around my waist and that tingling feeling erupted again.

"Bye, Bella," Alices murmured, then as quickly as she had wrapped them around me she let go and stepped back. I turned around to look at her softly smiling face.

"Bye, Alice."

We made our way back to the car and Renesmee offered to drive and I nodded absently, not paying attention. Instead I thought back to Alice's hug and the weird, tingly feeling that I had felt.

I shook my head. I was probably imagining things. As we drove further away from the Cullen household, I let my thoughts drift off as I fell asleep to the rhythm of the car's engine.

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><p><strong>AN: Ok, so I just had to add a little bit of Bellice randomly chucked in. Just a tiny bit xD Anyway, do tell me what you thought in a review. And thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi all, I'm back! Thanks to all you people who reviewed chapter 2, your views really helped. Ok, so a couple of people were confused at how rushed the whole 'forgiving the Cullen's' thing went and I'd just like to clear it up. **

**So, as you all know, Bella was abandoned, and this story is set 10 years after that. That means that she's been hiding her emotions within herself for a long, **_**long **_**time. The reason for her strange behaviour was because - after seeing them again - she was overcome with a hell of a lot of emotions, and because she hadn't expressed emotions properly in such a long time she was just completely confused as how to react. She was relieved to see them – even though they'd left her – because at one time she had truly thought of them as family and loved them. At the time Bella was quite emotionally unstable.**

**I hope that clears it up, this chapter should explain it a bit further, but I just wanted to point out that I wasn't trying to rush things (at least not intentionally ^^;) and Alice's hug was just in her character; she's quite touchy-feely.**

**OH! And one more thing! TorontoHoney suggested that for this story, instead of Kristen Stewart, Missy Peregrym would play Bella. I think she's pretty good as a Bella, so I wanna hear what you think :)**

**Ok, so let's continue shall we?**

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><p>"Bella?" Kazuya's voice was soft, tentative.<p>

I heard his footsteps and the creak of the wooden floorboards as he shifted his weight from foot to foot but I said nothing; instead I gripped my knees harder and shut my eyes. I didn't want to talk. I didn't want to hear how disappointed he was in me.

"Renesmee told me what happened, Bella," he was at my bed now, and he placed a firm hand on my shoulder as he sat down.

"Then you should know why I don't want to go today," I said, my voice muffled as I tried to hide my face from his gaze.

"Bella, neither of us thinks any less of you."

My head snapped up to look him in the eyes, anger bubbling inside of me, "I broke down, Kazuya! Even after all my talk of being strong, even after everything that's happened, I'm still so weak that I can't even stop myself from turning into a sobbing wreck after seeing them! How am I supposed to face them? How am I supposed to face you two?"

He sighed, only fuelling my anger further, "Bella, do you want to know how I felt about your reaction?" I said nothing, anger and disappointment still fresh in my blood, and he continued, "I'm relieved Bella._"_

"_Relieved?" _I spat. He was relieved that I had turned into a walking waterworks show? That I had done the most pathetic, most embarrassing thing in my life?

"Yes, Bella. I was honestly, truly relieved. You've spent so long in your shell that I wondered if you'd ever be able to express any other emotion than anger. You never got along with anyone; you didn't even _speak _to anyone besides Renesmee. After what happened at the Cullen household, I'm glad to see that you can still open up."

"B-But I-After everything I said about my being strong-After everything Renesmee-"

"Bella," his voice was firm as he spoke; causing me to avert my eyes but his strong hand grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his piercing gaze, "keeping in your emotions does _not _make you strong. If you keep in the anger and pain, they'll slowly consume you, eventually all you'll care about is getting revenge. You'll be completely bent on making the person feel just as bad as you did and you'd do anything for it; lie, steal, cheat even kill. And once you have your revenge, what makes you any better than the person in the first place? That's not strength, Bella, trust me. I've been through it," he shook his head and his voice was pained. "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, and in order to try and do some good I saved you and Renesmee and no matter what happens, I'm glad I did, you two are like the daughters I never had. Crying doesn't make you weak; it allows you to accept yourself and your emotions and lets you start to move on."

I didn't know what to say, I was still trying to process what he had just said, though I knew he was right. Crying - no matter how humiliating it had been - had allowed me to release everything; all the pain, anger and frustration that I had done my best to keep bottled up inside me. Everything had spilled out in the river of tears that had flowed endlessly from my eyes.

Kazuya gave me a soft smile; he knew I understood, "That's my girl. Now come on, Renesmee's waiting for you in the car," he said, signalling to the window with his head.

I glanced over at the clock; 07:10. Crap. I needed to get dressed. Fast.

I gave Kazuya a hug, whispering a soft _Thank you _before ushering him out of the room. Putting on a pair of jeans, a plain T-shirt and a jumper, I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the house in record time. I opened the passenger door to our Ford and let myself in. Once again I put my shield around her, protecting her from the vampires' gifts.

"Sorry, I got… held up," I said, not sure how Renesmee would react.

"It's fine. You feeling better?" she asked, glancing at me as we pulled out.

I was honestly surprised. I didn't expect Renesmee to be so calm about it. I nodded.

"I guess… Y'know… Everything just got lifted off my shoulders yesterday. Now that I've calmed down I feel like I'm at peace."

"The hell, Bella?" Renesmee snorted, "At peace? Really? Since when did you go all monk on us?"

I laughed and she let out a relieved sigh, "Thank God though, Bella. I don't know how I'd handle you if you were too emotional. You know how bad I am at dealing with stuff like that," she said, giving me a grin.

I laughed. Yeah, Renesmee was _really _bad at dealing with people. While I had gone around purposely ignoring everyone, Renesmee just didn't feel comfortable with new people and was just fine being with me.

As we approached the school car park I noticed a familiar dark blue Volvo was already parked a few spaces to our right.

I waited for the twisting of my stomach, the nauseas feeling I would always get when I thought about them. But it never came – at least, not like before. I didn't feel like running away, or throwing up, instead I felt a twinge of anger and uncertainty, but nothing more.

I glanced at Renesmee, who hadn't made any move to get out of the car. When she spoke, her voice was deliberately low.

"Are you really going to… you know… forgive them? Just like that?" she sounded uncertain, as if reading a sentence that didn't quite make sense and her brows furrowed.

"To be honest, Ren… I don't know. I still get angry when I remember everything that's happened and I don't know if I'll ever really forgive any of them. But I'll try, if not for my sake then Kazuya's. I don't want him to have us relocate because of my problems," I said, giving her a smile which she returned.

"Always one to put others first, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes, "Ren, we _do _owe him our lives,"

She laughed, "Yeah, guess we'll always be in debt to him. Alright then, let's go. People are started to wonder why we haven't come out of the car yet."

As we moved through the hallways the familiar scent of vampires flooded my nostrils. I felt a pang in my heart, but it was nowhere near the throbbing pain it had been yesterday. Renesmee was handling it better too; she didn't visibly tense up but her eyes still narrowed. We reached our homeroom and I once again settled down at the back of the class, preparing myself for another monotonous day at school.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Fourth period came around faster than I'd expected, though it was probably because I'd practically fallen asleep in both Spanish and History.

I said bye to Rensemee and made my way to the maths classroom on the first floor. Maths. The class I shared with Alice. The very same Alice who I'd cried my eyes out on yesterday. I sighed, wondering if I could just pretend it had never happened.

No. I of all people knew that it wasn't just as easy as pretending.

Entering the classroom, I saw that Alice was already at her seat. As I sat down, she spoke.

"Hi, Bella."

I bit my lip, "Sorry. About yesterday, I ruined your clothes."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her raise an eyebrow, "It was just a shirt, Bella."

I scoffed mentally. Those were the same words Kazuya had said to me just a few days ago. How ironic that I was now hearing them from none other than Alice Cullen.

"It's good to see you're feeling better," she said, trying to make conversation.

I didn't answer. I didn't _want _to answer. She should know how it feels to be ignored. How it feels to be abandoned.

"_Eventually all you'll care about is getting revenge; making the person feel just as bad as you did and you'd do anything for it; lie, steal, cheat even kill. And once you have your revenge, what makes you any better than the person in the first place?"_

Kazuya's words echoed in my mind and I ran a hand through my hair.

If I ignored Alice, if I made her feel just as bad as I did when they left, would I be any better than the Cullen's?

No.

I would be worse. Because I _know _how much it hurts, how bad it feels. And if I still made her suffer through it then… I was ten times worse than they could ever be.

I wouldn't forgive her, but that didn't mean I had to be a complete bitch either.

"Yes, I just needed a little… sleep," I answered, after a pause.

I saw Alice nod, and then she sat back in her chair as I heard the footsteps of Mrs Williams in the hallway.

I sighed in relief and was glad that Alice didn't try and keep talking, silently thankful that she was so perceptive.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So… where are we sitting today?"

I glanced at Renesmee as we walked towards the cafeteria and shrugged, "We can go eat outside if you want, on the grass," I suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from Renesmee.

"Alright, if that's what you want…"

"Yeah, it'll be nice to-" I stopped mid-sentence.

"Bella…?"

"There're two…" I muttered, earning a questioning look from Renesmee, "there're two sets of trails for each of the Cullen's. They went into the cafeteria and went out again, not much later…"

Renesmee furrowed her brows and took a small breath through her nose, "Yeah, why would they…?"

But her question was answered as soon as we walked through the cafeteria doors. Our table, which the Cullen's had been seated on yesterday was now empty.

'_They're giving us – me – space.'_

I wondered for a moment why they would suddenly change tactics from direct confrontation to giving us some room. Edward was always one to go for direct confrontation, he would never-

'_Alice.'_

Yeah. There was my answer. She was the only one who knew I didn't want to talk today.

"Ha. Guess they realised their mistake from yesterday. Pity, I wanted to beat the crap outta Edward for taking our table again…" Renesmee muttered, and I couldn't help but laugh at the actual disappointment in her voice.

Settling down at the table I smiled. I felt better than I had in long time.

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><p><strong>AN: Short chapter? I know x-x But this chapter was mainly to get Bella's character across, as well as develop it slightly.**

**So yeah. I've always thought of Bella as the mature one, and thought she'd understand that treating the Cullen's the same way would just mean she was worse than them.**

**If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. **

**Oh, and don't forget to review~!**


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